A Day At Gringotts
by OhMyKai
Summary: Lucius always had plenty of gold, goblins were always greedy, and Harry tended to be a bit slow on the uptake. Series of one-shots.
1. 1

_Lucius always had plenty of gold, goblins were always greedy, and Harry tended to be a bit slow on the uptake. Series of one-shots._

**A Day At Gringotts**

Harry had been wasting away on his bed when the letter came. His relatives were enjoying lunch in the kitchen, he was locked in his room, and there seemed to be no way to avoid the heat. He had been thinking of how much he wanted water, and how closely his life was resembling hell this week, with the heat and all, when a tawny owl flew into his room.

The owl, having landed on the back of his desk chair, hooted at him sternly. Harry sat up abruptly, blinking the black spots from his eyes.

"Hullo, there," Harry said awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact with the owl as he got up to untie the letter. He was feeling rather dizzy. _Is today Tuesday or Wednesday? _He honestly couldn't remember.

_Mr. H. Potter:_

_An urgent matter pertaining to the will of your late godfather, Sirius Black, requires your presence as soon as you are available._

_This letter can be used as a portkey to a meeting room in Gringotts. When needed, put a hand to the paper, and state clearly, 'Dispatch.' A goblin will be waiting._

_Axeface_

_Inheritance Office_

"Looks interesting," Harry muttered to himself, reaching for the cup on his desk. He put it down again in frustration, realizing it was empty. He glanced at the letter again, staring at the official seal of Gringotts. "Merlin's balls, I suppose I have nothing better to do. I hope they offer tea."

Harry, right hand holding his wand, his knuckles white, leaned forward to touch his left hand to the letter. "Dispatch."

He vanished with a small stumble towards his bed.

_6 hours earlier_

Axeface sat with a blank face as he wrote out a letter to a Mr. H Potter. Lucius Malfoy was dictating the words, his right according to the new bag of gold sitting in Axeface's top desk drawer.

He signed his name with a flourish, sat back in his chair, and snarled his best goblin snarl at the blond wizard. "You can't be serious."

"It will do, I think," Lucius said. The smile looked out of place on the man's lips. "And you will have a goblin waiting, of course." The wizard leaned forward sternly.

"Yes, yes, of course. It's a simple matter. But surely the Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't be so foolish as to use this Portkey." The goblin looked up harshly into the man's unblinking eyes. "All goblins and all wizards know of our ongoing blood war. If he should take the Portkey, he surrenders himself to our laws."

"I assure you, Axeface, Mr. Potter is quite the Muggle. Make sure the goblin waiting for Mr. Potter's arrival stays long enough to be sure that Mr. Potter _remains dead_. Good day and good gold, goblin." And with those words, Lucius Malfoy strode of out Gringotts. Taking his Lord's greatest enemy's head off at the neck took only a half hour and 100 galleons.


	2. 2

_Lucius always had plenty of gold, goblins were always greedy, and Harry tended to be a bit slow on the uptake. Series of one-shots._

**A Day At Gringotts**

Harry had been weeding the garden when an owl landed on his shoulder. He dropped the plants in his surprise, took a breath, then patiently untied the tiny double knot that secured his letter. The owl hooted impatiently and Harry flapped a hand at it for silence.

_Mr. H. Potter:_

_An urgent matter regarding the Potter Family Vault has arose. Your presence is required as soon as possible._

_Gurnik the Unclean_

_Potter Family Accountant_

"Hmm, it would be pretty nice to be filthy rich," Harry said thoughtfully, holding the letter up to the light to check for authenticity.

* * *

><p>Harry and Gurnik the Unclean, or Un for short, had just gotten in the cart to go to the Potter Family Vault. Un had assured Harry that he would be quite well off, and there would be all sorts of magical objects, weapons, jewels, and portraits and the like. At least that was the impression Harry had gotten. Un had spoken rather quickly.<p>

It had been a simple matter to leave Privet Drive. He had slipped on his Invisibility Cloak, walked very quietly 3 blocks away from the Dursley Residence, and called for the Knight Bus. The Invisibility Cloak remained his third favorite thing ever, right after his wand and his broom.

The air was rushing past them at a very fast rate, and Harry was surprised at how deep they were going into Gringotts. They had passed several dragons now.

Abruptly, they slowed down, and stopped in front of a vault with a very large door, with the number _56_ on the front. Harry and the goblin got out.

"Your wand, Mr. Potter," the goblin said, quite seriously, holding out a clawed hand.

"What?" Harry asked blankly.

The goblin heaved an impatient sigh. "There are a great deal of wards surrounding the vault, Mr. Potter. Did you feel like dying? I thought not. Your wand, please?"

Slowly, Harry reached into his pocket, passing the wand to the expectant Un.

"Well? Go ahead."

Harry hesitated for only a second before he turned and stepped towards the vault. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but felt stupid for asking. As he got closer to the door, he looked back for guidance, and realized Un had gotten back into the cart.

Gurnik the Unclean saluted him smartly. "Good day, Mr. Potter."

The cart started out slow, but picked up speed quickly, heading towards the surface. Un was sitting, facing away. And Harry was left standing, alone, with his mouth open.

"Un? What are you doing? Un!"

_8 hours earlier_

Gurnik the Unclean, a janitor at Gringotts, frowned at the words he was writing. "Are you sure this is enough? This letter says basically nothing! Why would he listen to this?"

And Lucius Malfoy smiled and guaranteed him that would do it. Un shook his head in disbelief. Surely the boy wouldn't give up his wand? But the weight of the gold in his hand was reassuring, and he decided it couldn't hurt to at least go through with the plan.


End file.
